 |
 Wattiors |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
Conference Realignment: Winners and LosersNCAA Football Betting Lines06/18/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though the radical transformation some had predicted for college football has not panned out, the FBS will indeed have a vastly different look by 2011. The Pac-10 and Big Ten are now 12-team leagues, the Big 12 has been reduced to 10 and the Mountain West swapped one headliner for another. So, while the smoke may not be completely clear and we probably haven't seen the last chess piece moved, a crazy couple of weeks in college football have come to a chapter-break, with some conferences getting stronger and others, not so much so. ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION The Big 12 could very well be the top winner in this thing, as the conference sees Colorado and Nebraska depart to the Pac-10 and Big Ten, respectively. A 10-team league does not meet the current criteria set forth by the NCAA for a conference championship (12 required), but the remaining teams aren't overly concerned with that. The conference was on the brink of collapse with the Pac-10 trying to lure Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to the West Coast. However, when the Longhorns recently negotiated the sweetest of deals to stay put, the others followed suit. Now, the Big 12 may actually be stronger. The league champion will have one fewer hurdle to clear toward a BCS title, and the 10 remaining teams will all get bigger pieces of the pie in terms of revenue, with Texas of course, taking home more than the others. You won't see the other nine remaining schools complaining about that, though. Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe certainly agrees with the positive assessments. "There were lots of people around the country wanting the Big 12 to stay together as a 10-team conference," Beebe said. "I'm grateful for their help and support. We've landed in a good place, not just for the Big 12, but for all collegiate athletics, in my opinion." The key is the television deals that are on the horizon, something Beebe obviously used as a dangling carrot for the remaining schools. "As far as the future, we have received extremely strong verification, based on our analysis with our consultants and others, and media companies themselves, that we are in a tremendous position to execute future agreements that will put our member institutions on par with any in the country." MEGA-CONFERENCE ON THE HORIZON? The Pac-10 almost pulled it off. The conference attempted to make the boldest of moves and cripple the Big 12, while in turn becoming the premier conference in major college sports. The new look Pac-16 would have dominated the college landscape and created a domino effect for other conferences, with a number of schools seeking a more stable situation. Of course, that didn't pan out, with Texas and company turning down a proposal to abandon the Big 12 and form what would have been a conference like no other. The Pac-10 however, settled for the addition of Colorado and Utah. Commissioner Larry Scott had to be disappointed with Texas' decision to stay put, but on a happy public front regarding the direction the Pac-10 is heading. "We are excited about the future of the Pac-10 Conference and we will continue to evaluate future expansion opportunities under the guidelines previously set forth by our Presidents and Chancellors," Scott said in a statement. The Pac-10 is now eligible for a championship game and the financial windfall that comes with it. While Scott may not have been able to orchestrate the move that would have sent shockwaves throughout college football, he certainly isn't going to give up on the idea of strengthening the league. For now, the Pac-10 will settle for adding the Buffaloes and Utes to the conference, hoping to increase national media awareness for a sometimes-overlooked conference. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Like the Pac-10, the Big Ten is now a 12-team league, but is it a better conference with the addition of Nebraska? I'm not sure the Cornhuskers were the conference's first choice. Notre Dame would have been the best option, but the Irish have continually decided against it. Big East teams like Rutgers, Syracuse or Pittsburgh might have made some sense, if the league wished to strengthen its media-market position in the east. However, it is Nebraska that is in the mix. Don't get me wrong, seeing the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions and Wolverines making the trek to Lincoln in the fall on a regular basis will be fun, and a future Big Ten Championship game will also be enjoyable, but the Big Ten needs to continue to move forward with expansion, before the Pac-10 and others beat it to the punch. LATERAL MOVE The Mountain West made a huge move last week, adding Boise State to the conference and in turn becoming a 10-team league. The Broncos have steadily earned national recognition, having won their share of football games and national attention. They will begin this upcoming football season ranked in the top-five and have a real chance to play for the BCS title. MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson was ecstatic about the addition. "We are pleased and excited to welcome Boise State University to the Mountain West Conference," said Thompson in a statement. "Since our inception just 11 short years ago, the Mountain West has experienced tremendous success, and the addition of Boise State will further enhance that strength. The MWC continues to strategize regarding potential membership scenarios and bringing Boise State into the Conference is an important part of that evolution." However, with good news comes bad, and the euphoria felt with the addition of Boise State has recently been tempered by the loss of Utah, which has left for the greener pastures of the Pac-10. Much like the Broncos, the Utes have helped carry the banner (in football) for non-BCS schools everywhere. With the loss of Utah, the Mountain West is now no better off than before the addition of Boise State, and the elimination of BYU-Utah as a conference rivalry has to sting quite a bit as well.
<< Bradley's late equalizer salvages draw for USA
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Bradley's goal eight minutes from time allowed the United States to rally from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw with Slovenia at Ellis Park Stadium on Friday in Group C play at the
<< Legacy stamped: Bryant is Lakers' best
<< EIU to retire Sean Payton's number
<< Time to pipe down, Tiger
<< Tipsarevic, Stakhovsky reach Den Bosch final
Hawks name new president >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks have named Bob Williams as team president. Williams will be in charge of the club's business operations. He has been with the franchise since 1975, starting in ticket sales, and was a 22-ye
If anything, Russell gives Pirates some stability >>
The New York Yankees >>
Yankees sign first-round pick Culver >>
France nothing without Zidane >>
Online Sportsbook Football BettingColts give the ‘D’ its dueThe Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain. They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities. "They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure." Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line. New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest. Not so sound on the ground If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU. Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com “We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star. Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground. Brees says bring it on Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites. Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship. Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game. "I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time." SportsBooks ready for a shootout Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses. “This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.” New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts. The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game. “Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
2007 online football betting PreviewMy fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online." The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet. To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession. However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks. Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable. Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone. Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC. 2007 College Football Betting PreviewThere will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson. The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans. So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California. USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl. USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter. Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles. That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy. The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?" The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning. Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years. Las Vegas Sports LinesThe Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States. It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella." The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot. The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan. Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season. After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country. To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
|
